Welcome to another new weekly column where we round up all the Android-related rumors and discuss the validity of each one. Everyone seems to love our original rumor reports, but we thought it would be fun to examine the rumors from around the web and share our thoughts on the possibility of them coming true. Read on for this week’s latest Android rumors.

Is this the rumored Nexus tablet?

Rumor: Evan Blass of PocketNow received a leaked picture of an unknown Android device, which he suggest could be the rumored “Nexus tablet.”

Our thoughts: We have been reporting on the rumored Nexus tablet for the last couple months, and now the Wall St. Journal is sharing new details of how Google plans to sell it.

Our first rumor report suggested that the device would be similar to the ASUS MeMo 370T, but then other sources said that device had been abandoned in favor of a cheaper design. The MeMo 370T was supposed to retail for $249, but NVIDIA has already said that Tegra 3 tablets will approach $199 soon, and we said that the final price could drop to $149.

The Wall St. Journal said Google was considering subsidizing the cost of the device to better compete with Amazon and their $199 Kindle Fire, so the final price could hit that magical $149 (or lower) price point where you see these devices sold at 7-Eleven stores.

Looking at the device pictured above, we can see it appears to be your average 7-inch tablet. There are ports for micro USB, micro HDMI, SD card, and headphone jack. At the bottom of the device on the left side there appears to be a SIM card slot, but most people expect this device to be WiFi only.

The docking and charging port is on the side of the device, along with two holes that would suggest a keyboard dock. ASUS is best know for their Transformer devices that feature optional keyboards, so it’s possible that Google wanted to integrate that feature.

Since price is the main selling point with this device, we don’t expect the design to be that exciting. This leaked photo still features the Android Market so it’s likely a couple months old, but we think there is a chance it could still be real.

Update: Evan Blass tells us we can knock down our probability percentage to near zero, as he believes the device pictured is an existing Toshiba 7.7 inch tablet.

Probability: 0%

The Galaxy S III will launch later than expected, in Q3

The wait is on.

Rumor: Digitimes reports, “Sources in the supply chain said Samsung is likely to launch a 4.6 inch Galaxy S3 that has an increased pixel size of 319pp in the second or third quarter of 2012, and will use the Super AMOLED HD Plus panel.”

Our thoughts: Samsung has previously said, “The successor to the Galaxy S2 smartphone will be unveiled at a separate Samsung-hosted event in the first half of the year, closer to commercial availability of the product.” Most people are expecting some kind of announcement in May or June, that is closer to availability, but there could still be a month or two lag before it hits retail stores, given the usual carrier delays.

Previous rumors have already suggested the display size would be somewhere between 4.6-4.8 inches and use a new HD Super AMOLED Plus display, and that still looks likely.

Samsung is focused on beating Apple’s next iPhone, so we don’t see them trying to push up the launch for no good reason. It sounds more likely that they would favor waiting until they had the best possible combination of hardware and software to create a totally new experience.

Don’t be surprised if the Galaxy S III launches in the second half of 2012.

Probability: 65%

Galaxy Nexus comes to Sprint on April 22nd

Rumor: Dante D’Orazio of The Verge reports that the Galaxy Nexus will come to Sprint on April 15th.

Our thoughts: Rumors from a couple of weeks ago suggested a release date of April 15th, but it’s no surprise to hear that a phone launch got pushed back by a week. Kellen of AndroidLife also reported that Sprint had begun training their employees on the Galaxy Nexus this week, so it’s looking more likely that the official launch date could be announced at any time.

Probability: 85%

Tegra 4 to feature a 64 core GPU

Our thoughts: The last time we saw the official Tegra roadmap, NVIDIA told us Kal-El (Tegra 3) would be followed by Wayne, Logan, and Stark. No official announcements have been made surrounding Wayne, but NVIDIA has already hinted they would use Cortex-A15 when they announced their custom CPU core called Project Denver.

A more recent leaked roadmap also reveals a new mobile processor called Grey, that would feature a similar design to Wayne, with the addition of NVIDIA’s Icera modem.

We still expect to see Wayne arrive in 2012 and feature multiple Cortex-A15 CPU cores, but the GPU design has been a mystery. NVIDIA also hinted that their new Kepler architecture, found in desktop computer graphics cards, would make its way down to smartphones.

NVIDIA likes to surprise their competitors and rumors of a 64 GPU cores go back to last year, so it’s highly likely we will see something much more advanced than the 12-core GPU found in Tegra 3.

Probability: 65%

Sprint will announce the HTC EVO One tomorrow

Rumor: Multiple sites report Sprint and HTC will announce the EVO One tomorrow.

Our thoughts: The leaks keep increasing as we approach Sprint’s press event scheduled for April 4th in New York. The HTC One X was first rumored to come to Sprint, followed by news of an early June release, and last week we heard the device would hit stores with the name EVO One.

Sprint is announcing a new HTC smartphone tomorrow, and we feel pretty comfortable with saying it will keep the EVO brand alive.

Probability: 95%

Got any juicy rumors?

Find any hot Android-related rumors that we failed to cover? Just contact Taylor or leave a comment below and we will evaluate them next week.

Taylor is the founder of Android and Me. He resides in Dallas and carries the Samsung Galaxy S 4 and HTC One as his daily devices. Ask him a question on Twitter or Google+ and he is likely to respond. | Ethics statement

Most Tweeted This Week

Good_Ole_Pinocchio

I actually do feel more comfortable with Sammy releasing the GS3 in the Second half… We ALL KNOW they are specifically GUNNING for the iPhone which we can probably expect in Late august or September.. They want to compete on that level and i think they are more than Poised to take on the King.

nory82688

I was thinking the exact same thing. If Samsung waits until Q3 to release the gs3 , I’ll be all over it. I currently have the GSM galaxy nexus, and by the time the gs3 comes out I may be ready to upgrade ;) and I’ll definitely be getting the international version to make sure it has the new quad core exynos SOC . Cant wait!

http://www.jaxidian.org/update/ jaxidian

Thanks for catching me up! I’ve been out of the loop on some of these. I definitely enjoy these rumor roundup reports! Thanks, Taylor!

http://mihai.discuta-liber.com/ tmihai20

You guys really got me excited about the Google tablet, but then I read it is not. The Galaxy S III will not come any time soon. They had all the opportunities to launch it or to at least announce something, with HTC stealing the show. Tegra 4 specs are looking as ridiculous as Tegra 3 did way back when it was announced, now I see desktop OS (Windows) in the Nvidia picture. Nvidia really want to blow everybody’s mind into tiny pieces!

billc

On the Nexus tablet, I sure hope your right on price. That would be nice. I really enjoy my Asus transformer, something even better in 7″ plus price would be awesome!

spazby

a little surprised by Q3 launch of sg3 but as long as it is september, it should be ok as they need to be out at least a month before iphone 5, which should come out in october. as always, i expect sg3 to spank iohone 5 silly in terms of technical features…

jd

Don’t mind the wait for sgs3…My contract doesn’t expire until nov. As long as it’s available on verizon!

Robert

Of course, if they “bing” it up like the GS1, I’ll likely look to other carriers despite loving Verizon’s reliability and service.

Fulaman

Let’s hope they do have a Galaxy S 3 on Verizon this time (they didn’t have a GSII), and they don’t gimp the phone. Thank God for rooting, but still the Verizon variant of the Galaxy S was the worst out of the 4 carriers.

sunrise

:( I’ve been waiting for the SGS3, or at least to hear about confirmed specs before I purchase a phone, but I can’t wait that long for a new phone.

It’s going to suck getting a phone now then having Samsung release something awesome a few months later.

cwjones4

that’s my problem as well. i’ve really been wanting to hear ANYTHING about this phone so I know if I should go ahead and purchase a new one, or hold out as long as my old Hero will last….

Also, with the SGS2 still selling so well on all of the carriers, it’s not pushing samsung to release anything new in the US.

Jerry M.

Does anyone have reliable info about the Galaxy Note coming to VZW? The only thing I find is from mid-January, calling it the GALAXY JOURNAL.

Robert

I would love to hear discussion of this rumor as well.

http://androidandme.com Taylor Wimberly

Nothing new has leaked other than the rumored name Galaxy Journal. When we hear more, we will let you know.

WlfHart

Any news on a Note II?

OMGLX

Damn– talk about the supposedly Stock ICS HTC One X for T-Mobile!! I want it to be true real real bad!

nory82688

So do i lol it would make an amazing addition to T-Mobile’s G-line of smartphones. And more than likely , if T-Mobile gets the one XL, it’ll have the tegra3 chip set due to the lack of LTE, and I’m definitely OK with that ;)

http://www.infotainmentempire.com pekosROB

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again:

I love the way nVidia names their Tegra processors, and it just seems fitting that Stark is the most badass out of the group.

aranea

With the rumor that a 10-inch kindle fire can be released for 250ish I’d expect 7-inch google tablet to go for 150. Because certainly amazon will cut the price of the 7inch fire if the rumor is true.

Paul Jamieson

Expect the iPhone5 in the Sept~Oct time frame, as Apple rarely uses a 6 month update cycle for new hardware … Expect a redesign of hardware, but OS should remain unchanged (except for updated apps and some new features)
I would suspect a new Galaxy Nexus branded device in the Nov~Dec time frame to house the next Android OS (Jelly Bean) which if rumors are correct will contain Google’s latest Voice Technology (was called ‘Majel’ – but now is ‘Assistant’), which is supposed to be a complete re-write of the technology, and will make Siri look like a half- baked product …
There are some compelling YouTube interviews about this upcoming re-build …
The addition of the S-Pen will continue to make itself know, as other manufacturers see the potential of what the Samsung Note has offered, and move to capitalize in on this technology. Look for larger footprint phones too (though 5.3” is probably the max ..)
Smart watches (Android based) will begin to show up in larger numbers as the software matures and finds its niche market place .. Think voice activated ..

Orion78

Damn, Samsung is really making it hard. I hope they announce the GS3 before the EVO One comes out in June. I need to compare the two before I can make my disicion.

LOL you’re the last person to talk. At least I have a life. You on the other hand talk to your phones as if they are people lol. EVO family and friends? You sir are a nutjob. Answer this. Why do you even have a phone? You don’t have friends. And I’m sure you’re too dumb to know how to navigate through the Android OS. Do us all a favor and use a feature phone. You give Android users a bad name. Oooooh you just got “PIMP SMACKED”.

squiddy20

Your point is…? I’ve seen many instances where you’ve literally copied and pasted a comment from one website to another, and you tell him *he* has no life? What a f*cking joke!
Besides, ever since you supposedly got your Galaxy Nexus, haven’t you been saying how Samsung has been “pimp slapping” all other manufacturers such as HTC, LG, Motorola, and Huawei? Talk about not getting your own screwed up story straight…

Loomis Peabody

Hey Richard, what happened to, “… Its all Samsung in my camp…”

Steam

You really, really, REALLY like being ripped on, don’t you? You spam the f*ck out of every damn android site on the internet with your bullsh*t, and YOU tell HIM to “go get a life”? Are you f*cking kidding me? Not only do you spam everything with whatever imaginary device you currently don’t own, you do it to the point where some of the sites, like Phandroid banned you. Several times, in fact, before they finally got rid of your dopey ass. Between here, your Disqus accounts, and whatever else, i don’t think that there is a site you don’t spam with “My current imaginary device pimp-slaps, rapes, sexually assaults, beats-up, kicks, pisses on everything else and everything that I don’t own is useless”.
You’re the most blind, short-sighted person in the history of the internet. Period. That’s saying a lot because I’ve been on the internet for a very long time, and have seen many trolls, idiots, and hypocrites. You definitely are the top f*ckwit ever. Yes, we like android, obviously, but you don’t even know what you’re talking about, you change your story from day to day, hour to hour, and as I said, I don’t think you even own a smartphone, and never have. Someone at the Mission probably came in with one, then you decided that they make you important, and when you get to the Bowery Mission, and use the computers they taught you to turn on, as shown here: http://boweryapplications.org/Images/mmDocument/Red%20Door%20Jun2007.pdf
you go to every Android site with a comment board to tell everyone that your current “phone” is boss/pimp-slapping/rules android, etc. You posted stupid videos of Dan Hesse with his little dictionary everywhere, sometimes more than once in the same thread, now you think you’re on Verizon, who was recently The Devil. If you’re going to lie, try to get your story straight. I think that you “went to Verizon” *cough bullsh*t* because Verizon is a lot better than Sprint, and more expensive. Hell, you yourself said that you were “rolling with the big boys now that you’re on Verizon.” meaning that you truly do equate smartphones with importance/self-worth.
Personally, I doubt you even have a Jitterbug, Mr. “I have 100 total applications on my Galaxy Nexus, 2000 pictures, 41mp4 movies and still have 22.13gb of space left”. Meaning that you expect us to believe that you only used ~6GB of space? http://androidandme.com/2012/02/opinions/mwc-predictions-what-we-expect-from-htc/
MC3 itself is over 1GB. Who do you think you’re fooling? Did you “go to Verizon” when the outreach program ended for you, and the phone you *may* have had was taken back or deactivated?
The GNex only has a bit over 28GB available to the user out of the box. How do I know? I actually own one. You, on the other hand, do not. You can stop pretending now Richard, I think we’ve figured out your MO now. You use your real name and photo (I can’t imagine why, if I was a scraggly, dirty little sh*t like you, I wouldn’t let anyone take my picture, ever) in the hopes that people will see you and think “Wow, Richard must be a really important, suave, wealthy person, he has a smartphone!”. What they actually think is “What an idiot. That guy has some hardcore mental issues.”
My kids have smartphones, Richard. They’re not status symbols, they’re just devices for communication and entertainment. They don’t make you better, richer, or more important. Theyt just let you communicate, navugate, and entertain. Maybe one day, you’ll actually have one and you’ll understanbd what they are actually all about, but I doubt it.

Nathan D.

This article has made me way to excited about the the GS3 and everything else, I can’t wait to see how the summer goes this year.

alexanderharri3

Samsung’s Galaxy S series updating once every ~year is a very Apple strategy – which by in large has worked great – then again so does a 6-month incremental update cycle for android phones.

They need to work on releasing the line….across the board not on variant launching, then having new variants launch every week for 6+ months….

Richard Yarrell

Let’s keep it real folks I applaud HTC and the HTC ONE X but that device is for the UK and abroad so I applaud my friends on the other side with the quadcore tegra 3. Here in the states we are dealing with dualcore S4 vs dualcore S3 that’s what we should be focusing on. What’s the actual real world difference in these devices that is what we need to find out. Otherwise dualcore is dualcore been their done that we will see Samsung bring the quadcore 5250 exynos processor with LTE to market this summer in the GALAXY S3 and that will be the device of the year. Trust me it will appear on Verizon you can BANK on that…Samsung has done MAJOR HOMEWORK on EXYNOS and LTE integration…

swazedahustla

Dude u have no clue what u r talking about. Just stop talking cause the more you say the more u sound stupid.

Orion78

LOL Yeah and not too long ago you stated the Galaxy Nexus would dominate until Dec. Lol Richy are you actually two people sharing the same peanut sized brain?

squiddy20

“What’s the actual real world difference in these devices that is what we need to find out” Why don’t you use your “pimp slapping” Galaxy Nexus to find out? Surely you know how to use the search bar by now?
“Otherwise dualcore is dualcore” Wrong as usual Dicky. Dual core clocked at 1 GHz is NOT the same as dual core clocked at 1.5 GHz. Not only that, but when you’re talking about the S4, you’re talking about a completely revamped SOC (It’s ok Richard, go ahead and Google that) which ultimately enhances the capabilities of the device it’s on when compared to the S3. Better GPU integration, better wireless connectivity (Bluetooth, LTE, CDMA, GSM, Wifi, etc), higher camera processing power, etc. Let me put it to you this way: the S3 is powering your “legendary” Evo 3D (last year’s tech), while the S4 is powering the US versions of the One X and S. You really have no clue what you’re talking about.
“Trust me [the Galaxy S3] will appear on Verizon you can BANK on that” …And I’ll be laughing my ass off when you’re proven wrong again. Just like you were wrong about the release date of the Evo 3D and Galaxy Nexus, the length of time the Evo 3D would remain Sprint’s “flagship” phone, how you seriously believed the processor in the Sensation was inferior to the *same exact one* found in the Evo 3D… Want me to continue? I can come up with about a dozen other instances where you’ve been proven wrong. Keep it up Richard.

Loomis Peabody

“…. I applaud I applaud… ” Jesus Christ Richy, you must never stop clapping.

jason

they can wait til christmas for all i care if it means using the 5250 instead of the 4412.

Having said that, (even though its debunked in this instance) I’m all over the nexus tablet if it comes with a sim slot and can be used to make phone calls too. convergence ftw!

http://willoughbyjunction.com Jayson Olson

Anyone else notice that the future Tegra chips are all based off of comic characters?